Archive for month: July, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias

Living in San Diego, we don’t have to drive far to find great adventures! Our summer plans include visits to the beach, local amusement parks, museums and even a drive to the mountains for a hike. I bought my car brand new almost 12 years ago. It has over 140K miles on it and still runs great! Regular maintenance and oil changes is key, of course. Here’s how we have fun on our day trips, what we pack in the car when we hit the road and how the Walmart Auto Care Center gets the car in top shape.

Where To Go

You don’t have to go far to find family fun. Check local activities in your area for a great day trip, some place you can drive to and return home in the same day. Even if it’s just a nice picnic spot in a park, make a day out of it by bringing some outdoor games like a frisbee with you. Or grab a favorite board game and enjoy playing on the grass. We like to head out into the mountains for an afternoon fishing at the lake.

Have everyone in your family give some input on a place they’d like to go and then choose one each week until you’ve covered them all! My big kids wanted to play baseball at the park, I wanted to wander through Old Town San Diego and my little one wanted to swim at the bay. We’ve covered all three this summer and still have a few more fun day trips planned before school starts up!

What To Bring

Depending on where you’ll headed, your day trip packing list may vary. I have written this checklist on Traveling Mom for essentials everyone should pack with them in their bag. I keep a fabric bin in the trunk that’s loaded with day trip needs so I’m always ready and I can save myself some time.

If you’re going to be gone all day and would like to budget your meals, make sure to pack snacks and lunches to avoid having to make a costly stop for fast food. Bottled water is a must and I plan on three different snacks per person for the entire day. We like to choose snacks that can handle the heat inside the trunk, like nuts, dried fruit, apples and crackers. If you bring a lunch that needs chilling, place a small cooler in the car with a freezer chill pack that will keep everything a good temperature.

Don’t forget a towel, waterproof blanket or beach chairs to sit on. A disposable tablecloth is a good idea if you are going to be dining al fresco (picnic tables aren’t always the cleanest). On that note, bring hand sanitizer too, in case you aren’t able to wash hands before eating.

If you’re going to be gone until sunset, take note of the weather and bring a jacket if necessary. I like to bring my kids at least a clean shirt and shorts to put on at the end of the day so they aren’t sitting in the car wearing sweaty and dirty clothes! Bring a big plastic bag to throw everything in at the end of the day and pop it in the trunk to clean out when you get home. This will help you keep all the mess in one place.

How To Prep

My car has a lot of miles on it but it never lets me down. Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® motor oil helps clean out the sludge lesser oils leave behind, while helping to reduce leaks and oil consumption in worn or higher mileage engines. It’s a motor oil specifically designed for new or late model vehicles with over 75,000 miles, with the mission of keeping engines running clean and going strong.

Make your life easier and get your oil changed with Pennzoil at Walmart’s Automotive Care Center. So nice that you can shop for your day trip and get your oil changed while you shop. You’ll be ready to hit the road immediately after check-out! I loved that I was able to drop off my car in Walmart’s Automotive Care Center and take the kids inside the air-conditioned store to pick up snacks for our recent drive up the coast to a theme park.

High mileage oil changes are on Rollback at Walmart ($35.88) from June 15 – September 28 so it’s a great time to prep the car for those summer adventures. Find your Walmart Automotive Care Center and drop in (no reservation needed) to get the oil changed on your vehicle so you can be trip ready too when the adventure-mood strikes!

What family day trips you have planned this summer? Share with me in the comments.

https://momrewritten.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mom-Rewritten-Blog-Logo-300x169.png00Julie Bigboyhttps://momrewritten.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mom-Rewritten-Blog-Logo-300x169.pngJulie Bigboy2016-07-21 07:05:042016-07-21 07:04:48Prepping the Car for a Family Day Trip

Going to Disney can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned travelers. So much to remember and so much more to learn! But I find that I can have just as much fun in the planning stages as in the actual vacation itself. Last year my family and I (all seasoned Disneyland travelers) took our first last-minute trip to Walt Disney World and made *ahem*, many mistakes! It happens to the best of us. If this is your first time planning a Disney vacation you have your hopes up that everything will go well…And it will! In order to make your vacation go as smoothly as possible, check out these 7 common mistakes planning a Disney vacation.

Photo Credit: Jeff Holz

Mistakes Planning a Disney Vacation

Newbies and seasoned Disney travelers have something in common – at one time or another, they’ve probably made a mistake or two on their Disneyland or Walt Disney World vacation. Hopefully once you recognize the Disney travel pitfalls, you can make a detour towards a successful and magical trip! Be sure to check out all the other links I have in this post for more Disney planning advice when preparing for Disney World or Disneyland.

Please note that I use affiliate links in my post. Clicking through and making a purchase through my link helps me in a small financial way, thank you!

CLICK THE IMAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE DISNEY VACATION PLANNING VIDEO

Mistake #1: “Surprise! We’re Going to Disney…Right NOW!!”

It sounds like a great idea, right? You’ll take them to the airport or pop them in the car for the road trip and surprise them with a trip to Disney! They’ll be so happy, right?? Depending upon your kids, this surprise of a lifetime could go either way. And you’ll really have to know your kids to know how a big surprise like that would go down.

For my two older children, a surprise vacation would not be welcome and might indeed spark a meltdown. They both like to know early-on what’s going to happen and be totally prepared so a surprise Disney trip would not be the best idea. However, my 4-year old would be thrilled! He tends to roll-with-the-punches a little better and doesn’t mind a few changes in his routine. Only you know how your kids might react.

What kind of reaction are you expecting?

Instead of surprising the kids just as you’re leaving, consider a surprise early on in the planning stages of the vacation. This still gives you the excitement of “Wow, we’re going to Disney?!”. but allows them time to let the idea of a big vacation sink in. They’ll also be able to properly prepare and help you plan the trip as well and give input on what rides and attractions they’d like to see.

I like the idea of a surprise that includes a Disney Vacation Planning DVD (you can order one free through this link) so they can watch and take notes on what to expect during their trip. Throw in a planning guide book so that you and the kids can start planning your trip before you leave including what shows, rides and attractions you want to experience.

Mistake #2: “Why Is It So Crowded?”

If you plan on visiting Disney on a weekend, summertime, holiday season or pretty-much anytime that kids are out of school, you’ll need to be prepared that the Parks will be crowded. Be sure to take a look at the calendar before booking your trip to make sure an avoid three-day weekends and holidays if you want to visit when the Park crowds are lighter.

Mistake #3: “Where Am I? I Am Totally Lost”

Finding yourself directionally challenged once you pass Main St. U.S.A? Take some time in your pre-vacation planning to study the maps of each Park. You can find the maps on the Disney Parks websites.

Each of the Disney Parks are large and have lots of nooks and crannies to explore. If you have a general idea of the layout of the “Lands” then at least you won’t be looking for the Haunted Mansion in Tomorrowland.

Save Money on Your Disney Vacation!

Use the Promo Code REWRITTEN and receive an extra $10 off any 2-night or longer Southern California package. (Hotel and 2 ticket minimum purchase to qualify for the discount).

Mistake #4: “I Thought I’d Be Able to See ALL the Characters”

At any given moment, you might find a dozen characters meeting and greeting guests throughout the Park. Will you find your favorite? Maybe!

Not all characters meet guests year-round. Some you’ll be sure to see, like Mickey and the “fab five” throughout the day at the Parks and others only come out for special occasions. You’ll get an idea of which characters will be out that day from the Entertainment Times Guide you receive at the front gate. There are also special appearances that aren’t in the schedule and of course you can see characters in the shows and parades as well.

Mistake #5: “What Are We Going to Eat? I’m STARVING!!”

Waiting until your vacation day to decide on your Disney meals is a mistake. Even if you only plan on grab & go counter service meals, you should still plan ahead of time what food you’ll be eating. This not only saves you time deciding on the spot, time spent zig-zagging across the Park to get to the restaurant and time perusing the menu deciding on your meal.

With such a large family, I always print off a few of the restaurant menus online so we can choose what we’ll be ordering before our trip. We can decide early about sharing platters of food, budgeting for meals and it saves us time in line trying to decide. One of us orders and the other gets the table and it’s a much more expedited process!

Gaston’s Tavern is open, just stop in!

In the case of full-service dining, much of the dining at Disney is considered an “experience”. And at Walt Disney World especially, you’ll need Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) to get into these restaurants.

When we were checking in for our reservation at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, there were a half-dozen people trying to get in to the booked restaurant without any luck. You’ll definitely need ADR if you plan on full-service. You can play it by ear at Disneyland for the most past, save for Character meals and peak season.

Mistake #6: “I Should Have Brought the…”

Regretting that you forgot to bring something with you into the Parks? Having a packing list ready before your trip will help you to remember everything you’ll need to pack up in your day bag. I find that jotting down essentials as I recall them in the weeks leading up to the trip will help me better than if I go off the top of my head when I’m loading up the suitcase.

Certainly there are a lot of things you can buy inside the Disney Parks gift shops from antacids to flip-flops but the prices will be higher as well. At least at Disneyland, there are convenience stores within walking distance of the front gates.

Thought you wouldn’t need a stroller and now you regret not bringing it? Fortunately you can rent one in the Parks.

Mistake #7: “Why Are the Kids So Cranky?! This is Supposed to be the Happiest Place on Earth!”

Disney Parks are chock full of entertainment from rope drop to midnight, and beyond. For most kids, the constant activity combined with a disruption in their usual routine (and nap schedule) can cause tantrums like you’ve never seen before! For other kids, anxiety about all the new noises, sights and smells might put them into stress-mode.

Be sure to work in some downtime into your Disney vacation schedule. A mid-trip “off day” will give everyone a chance to sleep in, relax and unwind a bit before getting back into the theme-park frenzy again.

We cook 99% of our meals at home, by scratch and on a budget. This means a few things – With 5 eaters to please, it can be a challenge to make a meal that everyone will enjoy (keeping in mind the “I don’t want onions in mine” concerns!) Also, making dinner at home means there is always clean up. Dishes & utensils, napkins & place mats, leftovers to put away and always pots and pans to wash. Lots of pots and pans!

I really try not to fall into the trap of making multiple dishes to please each person in our family. We have a rule in our our house, “You don’t have to like it but you do have to try it”. There is also no crying about food. After all, we try to teach our kids that a plate of healthy food in front of them is something to be grateful for.

That being said, if it’s easy for me to make a meal that doesn’t automatically mix onions and peppers that my pickiest eater won’t try (I’m looking at you, four-year-old!), then I’ll take that route if it means he’ll eat his dinner without complaint. Here’s one way to make cooking at home easier for picky eaters.

I received a complimentary MasterPan to facilitate this post but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

MasterPan Keeps it All Separated for Picky Eaters

I recently had the chance to try out MasterPan for dinner last week. I was intrigued by it and hoped (fingers crossed!) that it would make dinnertime a little easier as in I could keep certain foods separated and at the same time only dirty one pan. I liked that it only used one burner which saves on gas (versus having four burners going with four separate pans) and I would only have to watch one pan instead of four.

I had some leftover steamed Yukon gold potatoes that I wanted to warm and fry up for dinner. I also had two chicken sausages from the deli and some chopped red peppers and onions to saute. This is a family favorite that I usually cook in several pans (because my little one fusses about the onions and peppers touching his sausage…sigh!)

There were a few questions I had before trying MasterPan and as I cooked, I found the answers –

Will it work on one burner? – Yes, only one burner is needed to cook. The center of the MasterPan is the hottest cooking area but the heat flows through the rest of the pan to heat the outside compartments as well.

Timing your foods to be done at the same time is one of the usual challenges of cooking. I liked that the outer compartments on the MasterPan heated slowly so I was able to add everything to the pan at once and with a few turns on the sausages and some shifting of the onions and peppers, everything cooked evenly and stayed warm.

What about the oven? – Yes, you can use it in the oven. It’s oven safe to 350* for one hour.

How big is it? – It’s a large pan (14.9″ x 21.75″ x 1.75″). I think it would be great for college students or for keeping in the RV; any place you’re cooking where space is at a minimum and having one great pan like this versus five individual pans makes sense.

One of the compartments is on the smaller size. I originally had placed the red peppers here and the onions in the larger section. Once the onions cooked down a bit and were smaller, I easily exchanged their places to allow the red peppers more space to cook.

How easy is it to clean? – Super easy! It’s made of quality nonstick (not Teflon) and there was no hard scrubbing after cooking our meal. And it’s dishwasher safe, so that’s even better!

So how did MasterPan work for our dinner? It was a success! With the burner on medium heat, as suggested, the sausage cooked nicely on the stove top. The potatoes warmed and crisped up a bit with a little oil and the peppers and onions sauted along with the sausage. The compartments were a bit on the smaller side for our big family but I think the pan would be perfect for portion control if I was cooking for fewer people.

Want a MasterPan for your house?

The MasterPan has been a great addition to our kitchen and I bet you’ll love it too. Not only does it save you time, energy and clean-up, now you can get it at a lower price too. Check out this coupon code to save when you purchase!

Enter the exclusive $20 OFF coupon code MP206, just for my readers through the MasterPan link.

https://momrewritten.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mom-Rewritten-Blog-Logo-300x169.png00Julie Bigboyhttps://momrewritten.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mom-Rewritten-Blog-Logo-300x169.pngJulie Bigboy2016-07-05 10:29:172016-07-05 10:29:17One Way to Make Cooking for Picky Eaters a Lot Easier